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Cowboys' Rod Smith: Gathers 22 yards

by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire

Smith rushed for eight yards on two carries and added a 14-yard reception during Sunday' 27-20 win over the Eagles.

The 22 total yards tied a season high for Smith, who notched his first carries in almost a month. Smith has accounted for just 7 percent of Dallas' carries this season in a run game dominated by Ezekiel Elliott and, to a lesser extent, Dak Prescott. Sunday brings a matchup against a Falcons defense among the worst in the league against the run, giving up 5.2 yards per carry. That's probably good news for Elliott and Prescott moreso than the seldom-used Smith.

Smith caught one of two passes for eight yards during Monday's 28-14 loss to Tennessee.

Smith has now failed to record a carry in two consecutive games and has not topped 10 total yards since Week 4. Dallas remains an offense built around running with starter Ezekiel Elliott and quarterback Dak Prescott. As Elliott is also a great receiver, Smith doesn't add much as a third-down back. He's not worth considering Sunday, even against a Philadelphia defense giving up 4.5 yards per carry.

Smith gained four yards on five carries during Sunday's 40-7 win over the Jaguars.

Smith doesn't get much action in a backfield featuring Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott and he hasn't done much with his limited opportunities, averaging just 2.7 yards per carry on the season. Sunday's matchup with Washington does not figure to offer much reprieve as Smith and the Cowboys face the league's 12th ranked run defense at 4.1 yards per opponent carry.

Smith carried the ball three times for 10 yards during Sunday's 19-16 loss to Houston.

Smith now has 10 touches over the past two weeks after logging just one during the first three weeks. He's averaging just 3.2 yards per touch. There isn't a lot of opportunity for a No. 2 back in Dallas with a No. 1 of Ezekiel Elliott's caliber and a mobile quarterback like Dak Prescott. The Cowboys might need to lean on the run against the Jaguars on Sunday: Running the ball seems to be the path of least resistance against what has been an elite pass defense. Still, that doesn't add much confidence to Smith's Week 6 outlook.

Smith carried the ball six times for 22 yards and caught his only target for no gain in Sunday's win over the Lions.

Ezekiel Elliott saw a heavy workload en route to a monster performance (240 yards from scrimmage), which per usual left minimal touches for his backup. Smith will once again have to make do with scraps when the Cowboys head to Houston in Week 5.